Italians have an expression for this, they say people want to win (an argument) by force, strongly implying even though they know they're wrong. I figured out after many years in therapy that my mother didn't care so much about being right, as she cared about winning. If I switched sides and agreed with her, then she would switch to the OTHER side, just so she could still get the thrill of a win. My dad ALWAYS gave in, as he put it, "because someone has to keep peace in the family". But mostly he ran the household (cooked, cleaned, did the shopping, gardening, paid the bills) so it's not like there were arguments over stuff, mostly just about my brother, I think. *I* am the perfect wife, I just can't find the perfect husband to match me!